Business in brief

Posted: June 25, 2010 - 12:31am

SAN FRANCISCO

In a tongue-in-cheek call for immigration reform, farmworkers are teaming up with comedian Stephen Colbert to challenge unemployed Americans: Come on, take our jobs. Arturo Rodriguez, the president of the United Farm Workers, says workers are tired of being blamed for taking American jobs.

Now the group is challenging the nation's unemployed citizens to apply for some of the thousands of agricultural jobs posted with state agencies. The group says applicants can fill out an online form and they will be trained and connected to farms.

BRIEFLY ...

l SEATTLE - The iPhone 4 has arrived, but for some people the wait continues as Apple sprints to keep up with fierce demand for its latest gadget. From Tokyo to San Francisco, some stores started selling out of Apple Inc.'s newest iPhone just hours after it went on sale Thursday.

l WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply curtailed prosecutors' use of an anti-fraud law that was central in convicting politicians and corporate executives in many of the nation's most prominent corruption cases. Jeffrey Skilling, the ex-CEO of disgraced energy giant Enron, and a Canadian media mogul, both in prison, are among the figures who could benefit from the ruling.

l WASHINGTON - Companies are spending again, and that could mean better economic times ahead. Businesses have invested more money in machinery, computers, steel and other metals in three of the past four months.